


Epilogue

by Deense



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-04 22:26:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deense/pseuds/Deense
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Ashley and Claire's deaths, Henry and Will both need a friend, even if they aren't the ones who realise it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maekala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maekala/gifts).



They all had their ways of dealing with things at the Sanctuary. Or they had, until this time. This time it hadn't just sort-of gone wrong, it had all gone wrong. Ashley dead, the London Sanctuary all but destroyed along with so many others. The Cabal seemed to be destroyed, but now they'd been left to try and pick up the pieces. Each of them had to attempt to continue on and there wasn't a one of them that hadn't lost someone they cared about.

The influx of abnormals from other sites was immense. Henry was barely sleeping there was so much to get done. If he stopped and was truthful about it, he would admit it was a relief, not having the time. Ashley had been like his sister in many ways. He'd grown up at the Sanctuary, always a few years older, always a bit ahead. She'd driven him crazy for years, but she'd been something more than just a co-worker. She'd been family.

He couldn't say that to anyone, except the Big Guy, and he hadn't needed to say it to him. The Big Guy always understood, telling Henry he was working too hard but letting him get on with things. It wasn't like Magnus, not accepting what happened and driving herself so hard that they'd all been worried. Henry still managed to rest, just fits and starts, never wanting to face the dreams. The fact that part of him felt it was their – his – fault. They'd lost Ashley. He had, back in that Cabal lab when he'd been played so easily.

It was what he needed. He'd deal with things later, he told himself. Right now _this_ was what he needed. But he knew better than to push himself too far, or so he thought. He rested when the Big Guy's rumblings got too loud, but the rest of the time… The rest of the time he was in his lab, or in the temporary containment area. He was on his feet or in front of a screen, doing everything he could to stay busy. Everything he could to not think.

* * *

"Dammit, Kate," Henry cursed as he went through the feeding schedules he'd given to her. They were messed up, completely out of order. Now he'd have to go through and right each one. Not that it was a huge deal, but it was just one more task he'd given her and she'd managed to screw up through inattention. She'd probably been making up mental pricelists for the various abnormals that had been arriving. He was still muttering as he flipped through the pages on his tablet, trying to figure out how it could have gotten so messed up without some serious effort, when Magnus came in.

"Henry," her voice was soft but always carried, especially in the relative quiet of his lab. Her eyes were still tired, the fine lines at the edges seemed deeper in the days since Ashley's memorial service. While she'd finally had rest and some kind of closure, it didn't make things better. Time would likely help with that, and time was something Helen had a great deal of.

"Hey Doc," he looked up, wondering if she'd heard him complaining about Kate or not. He'd deal with this himself, he'd decided already. Magnus had too much on her shoulders and he needed to show he could handle it. "Didn't hear you come in."

"I never expect you to," she point out, her mouth twitching in a familiar way. It was a smile that seemed superficial, more the habit of muscle than any real humour or joy. "I know you're busy," she said cutting off his protests with a simple lift of her hand, "but I was hoping you could help me with something. Something serious."

Already he had ideas of what it might be. Most of them involved secret missions, or special weapons to develop. One had him solo against a team of abnormals, images flitting through his mind. "Sure. What is it."

"It's Will."

Instantly those images died. He no longer imagined adventure or an undercover operation (though, really, considering how the whole Cabal thing had turned out, maybe that was for the best) but awkward and difficult conversations.

Henry sucked at those.

"Alright, I'll do it," he said with a sigh of frustration. It was the talk of Claire's death and Will's withdrawal and Helen's worry. "But you have to explain to Kate why she needs to pay better attention to the feeding schedules I set out."

As he handed over his tablet he saw something in her eyes that made him wonder if this wasn't just about Will. If this was Magnus' way of making both Will and Henry stop working for a short while and actually deal with things. Even if it was, he'd committed. Besides, there really wasn't any arguing with Helen Magnus, Henry had learned years before. Once she'd made her mind up she had a way of convincing people of things. First a simple question, then playing to his weaknesses or cajoling. Finally, if they'd even gotten that far, she would level him with that look. That look that made him feel like a kid who'd screwed up again.

She hadn't had to go that far this time mostly because everything she'd said made sense. Will needed his friends right now, and Helen wasn't the right person. That left him, even if this was some sort of reverse intervention.

* * *

The look of shock in Will's eyes when Henry had made his suggestion was pretty impressive, actually. "A bar? We're overworked, short on resources, have more abnormals here in the Sanctuary than ever, and you want to go to a bar?"

"Hey," Henry held up his hands defensively, "I was going to suggest a strip club, but honestly? They're gross. Besides, Magnus' orders. Something about us both working too hard and needing a break and all of that."

He'd finished the sentence of lamely, his words trailing away. "So a bar. Big Guy said he'd drop us off. Had to go pick up some supplies anyway."

Will was still looking at Henry dubiously. "Magnus said we should go out to a bar."

"No. Magnus said we should get out. I picked the venue." Henry only had so much invested in this venture. If Will said no, he could tell Magnus he'd tried and they could all get back to other things. Even if he didn't think that Magnus would let either of them off the hook so easily. "Look, you can come or you can stay. I'm not talking flashing lights and picking up girls-" something that Henry had never been good at, "-I'm talking about a place with booths and a counter that serves beer. You know we could both use a couple of hours off. Work life balance or some of that psychology crap?"

Will just snorted, "Sure. That psychology crap."

He'd gotten up in the end, giving in this time to what seemed to be Magnus' idea. "Fine, but first round is on you."

* * *

The first drink went easily enough, as did the second. Will and Henry had built a strange but working friendship since Will had joined the Sanctuary team. They respected each other, and bonded in the fact they were often treated the exact same way by Magnus. Her tendency to mother everyone she kept close wasn't so bad in Henry's mind, if frustrating at times. At least she respected everyone on her team and all the work they did.

Two drinks, however, and things changed. They became awkward in their way, Henry and Will both moving their glasses around, creating patterns with the damp rings on wood.

"It's Claire, isn't it?" Will looked up from his glass with clear eyes, knowing eyes. "She's worried about me because of Claire."

Henry grimaced. It was why Magnus had been worried, and if Henry hadn't been wrapped up in his own guilt over what had happened he might have seen it sooner. He might have been the friend he should have been. "Yes?"

"Look, I know that she cares, and I know that she's worried, but I'm fine." Will insisted, signalling for another drink.

"Yeah, fine," Henry snorted into his glass, unable to stop himself.

"What do you mean by that?"

Damn. Henry met his eyes, holding them, "I mean that neither of us are fine. We had Magnus to worry about, and work and all of the other Sanctuaries." His hand hit the bar, slamming down on the wood. "Us? We're not fine. Aren't you supposed to be the one that knows people? You lost someone. We lost people. And we're not _fine_."

Will's mouth opened and then closed, his face blank. After a moment, he started to laugh, shaking his head, an eyebrow raising. "You're right. Magnus is right. You realise she set us up? Get the two of us out and we'd start-"

"Talking about our problems," Henry finished, his anger fading as quickly as it had built. He'd seen it earlier, but hadn't quite wanted to face it. "You're right. She did. We fell for it."

"Well," Will sighed, "she was probably right. We aren't dealing with things and we did need to get out. Especially the getting out part."

"You think?" Henry's exhalation of breath matched Will's in its amused frustration. "Worse that she had to be the one to point it out. You know she's never going to let us live this down."

It wouldn't be that Helen would say anything about it. In fact, she wouldn't say anything. Just give them a bit of a look, a raised eyebrow, both gestures speaking more than any words could.

"You know what?" Will was the one grimacing now. "Let's just get another beer and forget about that."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to ames for the last minute beta on what was an extra story I was inspired to write.


End file.
